Clothespin



J. B. TEGARTY April 3, 1951 CLOTHESPIN Filed April 10, 1946 I INVENTOR.

JOHN 8. 76 64197) Patented Apr. '3, 1951 as PATENT OFFICE 2 547,359 GBOTHE N Jenni-8;. f ega Lakemoodr-Qlno Application April "10, 1946; Serial No, 660,972

15 Qlalms. (01.2%1137 This invention relates to a new and improved clip particularly adapted for use as a clothespin.

One of the principal objects of the present invention is to provide a unitary clip or organic plastic material in which the 'stressesiare .so distributed that-the .difierent parts of the clipare not overstressed in use and the-clip as a whole retains its resiliency and capabilities, of exertglipping pressure even a-fter long and severe usage.

Another ebject-istoprovide a clip of thecharacter describedwhich is adapted to engage a line .in a manner most efiecti vely :to utilize the pressure it is capable of exerting.

Another objectiis to provide a clip which can operate efiectively with clotheslines of a wide range of diameters.

,A more specific object is to provide a clip adapted to engage the line at a plurality ofseparatedpoints so related to each other that the clipv exerts a kin-kingpressure and torsional stress on the line for holding itself in firm engagement therewith.

Another object is to provide a clip which may .be snapped readily onto the line and over the usual thicknesses of clothing or washing to be securedv tosthe line and which, when so. engaged, partially embraces the; line in a manner to maintaj engagement therewith by an, embracing and mechanical interlock-in rela ion to h i aswell as by frictional resistance against removal item the line- Anothe obiect to provide a u itary .0111 of resili nt r an c plastic material n-ioh is. :so

designed that it can bevma iuiacturesi at aicost m titive-with. ordin ry c oth spins espite he re a vel high cost f the p ast c. mat rial. of which t is composed:

other .obiectsand advantag s will ecome appare t i m the followin description, wherein refe en is m de o the draw es." in which Fig, 1 is a. perspectiv view showing the clip installed .ona clothesline;

Fig. v2 is airont elevation of the clip, the position of the line. therein being indicated by dot dash. lines. for clearness in illustrati n; 1

Fig 3 is atq qplan view of :thclol p ith the li si-n tall d th re n;

ig, 4 an. end.- .lew of the clinwith. the lin isret fore clips of or anic plasti material hace-las amasierin the same general-term astne pins have not proven satisfactory. The wooden :clothesp'in and prior plastic clothespins of the :a 'wl-ioleis generally convex toward he lo v about anaxis naraillel to the axi of th crot h tendin endw-i e Q1 .25..

same form depend entirely upon direct pinching pressure on the line and resultant frictional'resistance for holding the clothes in place thereon. Their engagement with the line exerts a substantial-strain .on the clothespin at theucrotch and, due to the fact that-organic plastic material tends to cold: flow under strain and teassume ,a permanent set,:such prior plastic :clothespins generally either have splitatthe crotch or thelegs thereof have become so spread or permanently deformed that little or no effective gripping pressure remains.

The present clip eilects. anembracing and mechanical interlock relation under yieldable pressure with, the line, and the stresses. in the clip are .so distributed that no portion is, subjected to an undue stress which causes cold flowing of, the. material. As a result the present clip retainsits original operating characteristics under longand severe usage.

Referring to the drawings, the clip comprises generally a single piece of organic plastic material having .a-portion in the form of a head or tab I. which can beconvenientlygripped between the fingers for installing and removing the clip. De-

pending iromthe head I are a p of. s 2 an 3,- which are :spaced apart, flatwise from, each other and defin he be wee a jacent their juncture with the body, a crotch for accommodatin he clothe lin and havin a "base 4. The legs 2 and 3 as a whole are relatively diversent and then n r nt pa ay f h ir length away from the base 4, .as will later be described. The free end portions of the legs 2- and 3 are relatively divergent flatwise of thevlegs away from, the base 4 and toward their free ends, as

indi a ed at 5, s as o id th line in h crotch and cause the legs to be camm ap by the line for permitting its ready insertion into v the crotch e o 'Ifheleg 2 is preferably of a considerable width andmay be disposed central-l3 of the body I and is concave toward the leg 3 at? a portion. between the body 1 or base 40f the crotch an he. free end of the leg 2, asindicated at 6. The leg .3 is preferably the .form of an openframe and as and concave. toward the leg ,2 about an axis ex- M re speci cal y, the-lee. 3 may comprise upper la eral,v o frame.

portions I and 8, respectively, which extend first abruptly rearwardly from the sides of the body I, respectively, as indicated at 9, and then extend laterally of the body in opposite directions. The portions I and 8 slope generally downwardly or toward the free ends of the legs in diverging relation to each other from their juncture with the body I.

At their lower ends, the portions I and 8 are connected integrally to portions Ill and II, respectively, which are convergent laterally of the clip and join at the free end of the leg 3.

The portions I and 3, in addition to sloping downwardly and outwardly from the body I, curve or slope back toward the principal plane of the leg 2, as best illustrated in Figs. 3 and 6, a sufficient distance so that their lateral limits are disposed laterally of the clip beyond the lateral limits of the leg 2 and are disposed endwise of the clip a sufficient distance below the base 4 of the crotch to engage partially beneath a line which is accommodated in the crotch, or slightly below its center-line.

The lateral limits of the arms i and 8 prefer ably are in the form of peaks or relatively sharp edges, indicated at I2 and I3, so as to provide a more effective engagement between them and the underside of a line accommodated in the crotch. In addition, the upwardly exposed edges of the leg portions 1 and 8 extend downwardly endwise of the clip beneath the level of the base 4 of the crotch. Accordingly, when a line is received in the crotch through the'divergent free ends of the legs 2 and 3, the legs are stressed apart from each other to permit the line to pass the peaks I2 and I3 after which the lateral pottions of the leg 3 spring forwardly and force the line more tightly into the crotch and cause the peaks I2 and I3 to engage beneath the line or on the opposite side of its diameter from the base 3. Due to this engagement and the concavity of the leg 2, as indicated at t, the legs are in partially embracing relation to the line circumferentially more than 180. Furthermore, since the upper edges of the leg portions I and B slope in the manner described, both downwardly and toward the leg 2, those portions of the upper edges near the body I force the line forwardly toward the leg 2, and their more outwardly disposed portions force the line toward the base 4 of the crotch.

The leg 2 is relatively rigid, and as a result of the engagement described, the line is subjected to a kinking pressure endwise of the clip and also in a direction fore and aft of theclip. Thus the line is urged to follow a serpentine path lengthwise of the crotch, as best illustrated in Figs. 2

and 5. Necessarily, such serpentine path is provided through the clip in its normal unstressed condition.

The clothesline may be sufliciently taut so that it is not deflected sufiiciently to assume as .pronounced a serpentine path as illustrated in Figs. 2 and 5, but resultant stress is one tending to kink the line and since the line bears downwardly on the upper edges of the portions I and 8 and the peaks I2 and I3 urge it 'upwardly and toward the leg 2, the line is under some torsional stress which holds it more firmly in engagement with the legs and forces the clip downwardly for more firmly seating the line in the base 6 of the crotch. This torsional stress is counterbalanced by the weight of the clothes secured on the line by the 7 clip so that firm holding engagement is eiTected. In order to increase the frictional resistance on the line or the clothes held on the line by the clip, the central leg 2 is provided with a rib H which extends transversely of the leg generally parallel to the crotch and is positioned to engage the underside of the line received in the crotch. The rib [4 preferabl has an abrupt wall surface exposed to the line accommodated in the crotch so as to more firmly resist camming of the legs apart when a pull is exerted on the body I.

In order to prevent this camming efiect on the leg 3, small bosses I5 and lb are provided on that face of the leg 3 adjacent the leg .2 and preferably are positioned just below the peaks I2 and I3 or in alignment transversely of the clip therewith. It should be noted that the peaks I2 and I3, as well as the peaks formed by the bosses I5 and I6, lie a short distance below the center line of a clothesline when the line is accommodated in the crotch.

In order to utilize the relatively expensive organic plastic material most effectively, the body I .preferably has a relatively deep peripheral rib or flange I I anda Very thin web portion I8. Likewise, the central leg 2 is provided with heavy longitudinal ribs I9 which continue through the integral web I8. An additional supplemental rib 20 also is provided on the back of the web I8 between the ribs I 9. The leg 3 also has an outer peripheral flange 2| and an inner peripheral flange 22 with a relatively thin web portion therebetween, the outer peripheral flange merging with the peripheral flange I! of the body I and the inner peripheral flange merging with the portion of the flange of the body I with which the ribs I9 and 20 are joined or merged. Since the entire clip, including the ribs and flanges, is a single integral resilient structure of resilient organic plastic, it may be sprung readily for operation and supplies sufficient gripping pressure for its intended purposes without overstressing any portion of the clip itself.

Any of the resilient organic plastics, whether thermo-plastic or thermo-setting, ma be used, cellulose acetate butyrate being one well known example.

I claim:

1. A clothesline clip comprising a body having depending resilient front and rear legs, respectively, the front leg being wider than the rear leg and the legs as a whole being spaced flatwise from each other and providing therebetween a line receiving crotch adjacent the body and extending laterally of the clip, said legs as a whole being convergent part way toward their free ends to provide a restricted entrance into the crotch and having free end portions which are divergent in the direction away from the crotch, the wider front leg being in the form of a frame having upper frame members extending laterally from the body, with their upper edges, near their outer ends, sloping toward the free ends of the legs in a direction outwardly from the body, said upper frame members terminating at their outer ends at corners which are positioned near to the extended axis of the crotch so as to engage a line, when a line is received in the crotch, beyond the axis of the line in a direction away from the crotch and to tend to kink the portion of the line extending between the corners upwardly at the ends of the crotch, said outer end portions of the upper frame members also sloping back toward the general plane of the narrower rear leg in a direction outwardly laterally of the clip so as to engage said line portion, when the line is received in the crotch, and to-tend to kink the said portion of the line backwardly at the ends of the crotch, whereby a compound kink in the line is provided at the portion engaged by the clip.

2. A clothesline clip according to claim 1 characterized in that said frame members have small projections on the face exposed toward the rear leg, which projections are positioned near to said corners.

3. A clothesline clip according to claim 1 characterized in that said rear leg is concave toward the front leg from the base of the crotch part way toward the free end of the rear leg.

4. A clothesline clip according to claim 1 characterized in that said rear leg has a projection positioned to engage a line received in the crotch beyond the axis of the line in a direction away from the crotch.

5. A clothesline clip according to claim 1 characterized in that it is made as a unitary structure of a resilient organic plastic material.

JOHN B. TEGARTY.

E REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

